Getting SCHIP is good, and getting the commitment is good.

But McConnell weaseled on when the DACA bill comes up - one could take him as saying that the DACA vote will come after February 8.

But even if they vote on DACA first, there's no guarantee that it would pass both the Senate and the House. Ryan isn't on board, after all. And the details matter. What will the Senate Democrats do if (as seems likely based on them already turning up the "Illegal Immigrants" stuff) it fails, or if it has poison pills? Other than pound on them in the November campaign?

Schumer did well with a weak hand. The Teabaggers have the majority and will pass what they want. All the Democrats can do is increase the Teabaggers' pain, try for things that mitigate The Human Beings' pain, and find ways to maximize turnout in November.

Schumer may have some tricks up his sleeve that I don't know about. He's been fighting McConnell for a long time, after all...

We'll see what happens on February 8, but I don't see some magical end game then (and didn't see one this weekend either).

We have to fight them every single day, and keep our eyes on the November election.

Cheers,
Scott.

In a statement, Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Stephanie Taylor blasted “weak-kneed, right-of-center Democrats” for aiding Republican efforts to “hurt kids and tear families apart.” PCCC is an expected critic, but a deeper criticism came from Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, who said after the vote that “there need to be repercussions for selling out Dreamers and broadly selling out progressive policy priorities like this.” Levin’s organization’s how-to activism and ubiquity (it has chapters in every congressional district in the country) has helped ensure unanimous Democratic opposition to major legislation, such as tax cuts and Obamacare repeal.

“Democrats caved on September 5th, they caved again on December 8th, they caved on December 22nd, and now they just caved again,” he said, pointing out that Democrats have now repeatedly agreed to short-term funding measures that don’t protect Dreamers. “Their promise is they’re really going to fight hard next time. It’s totally unbelievable. The idea that they are gonna take a pinky-swear promise from Sen. McConnell after he’s broken so many promises before is political malpractice—it’s absurd to believe that. The only answer is that [they] aren’t actually interested in fighting for the Dreamers.”

The end of the shutdown, weeks away from the beginning of primary season and a special congressional election in Pennsylvania, could have ripple effects at the grassroots level. Levin relayed a conversation he’d had over the weekend with the leader of an Indivisible chapter in a hotly contested House district. “I was wondering, ‘What am I actually knocking on doors for if they just kept on caving?’” she told him. “‘But then when they actually stood and fought on the [funding bill], it made me want to fight a lot harder.’”

“What they’ve done is taken away some of that energy,” Levin said.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/01/liberal-activists-are-furious-that-democrats-caved-on-the-shutdown/

Caving into fascists is how you lose elections. Now, sit back and watch the Republicans retain control of both the House and the Senate.

Post #422,325 by Another Scott 1/22/18 10:46:09 PM 1/22/18 10:46:09 PM Reply	Getting SCHIP is good, and getting the commitment is good. But McConnell weaseled on when the DACA bill comes up - one could take him as saying that the DACA vote will come after February 8. But even if they vote on DACA first, there's no guarantee that it would pass both the Senate and the House. Ryan isn't on board, after all. And the details matter. What will the Senate Democrats do if (as seems likely based on them already turning up the "Illegal Immigrants" stuff) it fails, or if it has poison pills? Other than pound on them in the November campaign? Schumer did well with a weak hand. The Teabaggers have the majority and will pass what they want. All the Democrats can do is increase the Teabaggers' pain, try for things that mitigate The Human Beings' pain, and find ways to maximize turnout in November. Schumer may have some tricks up his sleeve that I don't know about. He's been fighting McConnell for a long time, after all... We'll see what happens on February 8, but I don't see some magical end game then (and didn't see one this weekend either). We have to fight them every single day, and keep our eyes on the November election. Cheers, Scott.
Post #422,328 by mmoffitt 1/23/18 8:07:57 AM 1/23/18 8:07:57 AM Reply	Well put, Chamberlain. bcnu, Mikem It's mourning in America again.
Post #422,330 by mmoffitt 1/23/18 12:14:46 PM 1/23/18 12:14:46 PM Reply	Democrats learned nothing from 2016. In a statement, Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Stephanie Taylor blasted “weak-kneed, right-of-center Democrats” for aiding Republican efforts to “hurt kids and tear families apart.” PCCC is an expected critic, but a deeper criticism came from Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, who said after the vote that “there need to be repercussions for selling out Dreamers and broadly selling out progressive policy priorities like this.” Levin’s organization’s how-to activism and ubiquity (it has chapters in every congressional district in the country) has helped ensure unanimous Democratic opposition to major legislation, such as tax cuts and Obamacare repeal. “Democrats caved on September 5th, they caved again on December 8th, they caved on December 22nd, and now they just caved again,” he said, pointing out that Democrats have now repeatedly agreed to short-term funding measures that don’t protect Dreamers. “Their promise is they’re really going to fight hard next time. It’s totally unbelievable. The idea that they are gonna take a pinky-swear promise from Sen. McConnell after he’s broken so many promises before is political malpractice—it’s absurd to believe that. The only answer is that [they] aren’t actually interested in fighting for the Dreamers.” The end of the shutdown, weeks away from the beginning of primary season and a special congressional election in Pennsylvania, could have ripple effects at the grassroots level. Levin relayed a conversation he’d had over the weekend with the leader of an Indivisible chapter in a hotly contested House district. “I was wondering, ‘What am I actually knocking on doors for if they just kept on caving?’” she told him. “‘But then when they actually stood and fought on the [funding bill], it made me want to fight a lot harder.’” “What they’ve done is taken away some of that energy,” Levin said. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/01/liberal-activists-are-furious-that-democrats-caved-on-the-shutdown/ Caving into fascists is how you lose elections. Now, sit back and watch the Republicans retain control of both the House and the Senate. bcnu, Mikem It's mourning in America again.

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